Electrical tool



Y ELEG'TRIcAL Toonl I 7 lASheelzs-Sheet 1 url `e f. ym 11| Hun v/6AT Mw 11544224' i l' .ewagjr f" l INVENTOR ATTORNEY KENNETH M CRGO Aug. 7, v1965 Y' Filed June 21l lsessl K N'. CRAGO ELECTRIQAL TooL 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. KENNETH N. CRAGO ATTORNEY Aug. 17, 1965 K. N. cRAGo 3,200,674

- ELECTRICAL TOOL Filed June 21, 196s N '4 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOK KENNETH N. CRAGO TTRNEY United StatesA Patent O 3,200,674 ELECTRICAL IL Kenneth N. Crago, Rte. 2, Canal Winchester, Ohio Filed .lune 2l, i963, Ser. No. 289,518 4 Claims. (Cl. SI-S) This invention relates generally to tools and specilically to tools for the use of linesmen in installing or connecting electric taps or service lines from thek main line of an electrical current-carrying line. Speciically, the invention disclosed as an embodiment of my invention, is a tool for holding a hot line saddle temporarily supported by an electric current-carrying wiring so that the hot line saddle may be more easily attached to the current-carrying wiring. In the usual practice of making connections to current-carrying wiring, a saddle, such as( illustrated in the drawings, is oft times, or usually, connected to the current-carrying wiring which may be carrying the current in the nature of about 7200 volts. Naturally there is danger to a .linesman or an electrician in view of the fact that the wiring carries such a high electric potential.

l One of the objects of my invention is to provide an extremely simple and inexpensive tool for aiding in securing a saddle ofthe type described to an electrical wiring carrying a high electrical potential.

A further object of the invention is that of providing a tool which may be manipulated by a linesman or electrician to efficiently produce the desired results without danger to the user.

A further object is that of furnishing an improved tool in which such a hot line saddle may be easily and quickly associated with the tool so that the saddle is supported by the tool; in which the tool may then be attached to a hot line stick; and in which the tool, together with the hot line saddle may then be secured to the current-carrying line so that the tool, together with the saddle, is supported by the current-carrying line.

Further objects and features of my invention will be apparent from the following specication and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

The drawings illustrate one embodiment of my invention. Therein:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of an embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in plan of the tool shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a View in elevation of a hot line saddle having connectors secured to each end thereof;

FIG. 5 is a view in elevation showing the tool in the first stage ofthe insertion of the saddle and connectors;

FIG. 6 is a view like FIG. 5 showing the second stage in the insertion of the saddle and connectors;

FIG. 7 is a View like FIGS. 5 and 6 showing the saddle and connectors fully inserted and supported by the tool;

FIG. 8 is a view in elevation on a much smaller scale showing the tool, saddle, and connectors being raised by a hot stick toward the current-carrying line;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the tool illustrated in FIGS. l-8 supported by a high tension current-carrying Wire and supporting the saddle and connectors in connecting relationship with the high tension wire; and

FIG. 10 is a view in elevation of the tool shown in FIGS. 1 9 carrying the saddle and connectors of FIG. 4 and supported by the high tension current-carrying wire.

NOW for a detailed description of my invention, it may be seen that I have shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 3, a tool generally designated 11 comprising a pair of interconnected plates 12 and 13 ysecured to each other and to a @,Zhdid. Patented Aug. 17, 1965 metal block 14 by screws 15 and I6. The block I4 is formed with a bore 17 through which there passes a bolt IS so that the block 14 forms a bearing for the bolt. The bolt I8 is formed at its lower end Withvan attaching fixture i9. At its upper end it is formed with a cam head 2i which is semicircular in shape and has a substantially straight edge 22 and an arcual edge 2.3. The shaft or bolt I8 and cam head 2l may be turned from the position shown in FIG. 2 in which the cam head is entirely to one side of the plates 12 and 13 to a position in which the circular surface overlays the plates 12 and i3, as shown in FIGS. 9 and l0. The plate 12 is provided with a pair of supporting channels at the opposite ends thereof, one of which is shown most clearly at 24 in FIG. 3. The plate 13 cooperates with the plate 12 and the grooves 24 in supporting connectors Z6 and 27 `as shown especially in FIG. 9, the connectors 26 and 27 being releasably clamped between the ends of the plates l2 and 13. The plates thus hold the connectors 26 and 27 and the saddle 25 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 prior to the time the connectors 26 and 27 have been moved to embrace the wire 28 and prior to the time that the cam head 2l has been turned to hold the tool Il and the connectors 26 and 27 clamped to the wire 28. The plate I3 thus serve-s as a safety measure to prevent the saddle from moving out of said channels 24. A spring such as 2t) is interposed between the fixture head 19 and the block I4. By means of this channel 24 a saddle such as 25 (FIG. 4) may be supported by my tool together with connector elementssuch as 26 and 27. These connector elements may be of any convenient character, but one form thereof is shown in Hoffman Patent 2,707,775. My tool is adapted to be supported upon a current-carrying wire such as 28 (FIG. 10).

The operation and use of my tool may be described as follows: It may be desired that the 4hot line saddle such as 25 shown in FIG. 4 together with connectors such as 26, also shown in FIG. 4, be secured to a current-carrying wire such as 28 (FIGS. 8, 9 and 10). The connectors 26 and 27 are easily secured in the usual manner to the horizontal ends or extensions 3l and 32 of the saddle 25, the opening at the bottom of each connector being compressed by a suitable clamping tool, so that it is securely fastened in tight electrical contact with the end of the saddle as shown in FIG. 4. Then the saddle together with two connectors is inserted in the tool to be supported thereby. The cam head of the tool is in the position shown in FIG. l. The saddle and the connections shown in FIG. 4 are then attached to the tool as follows: One end of the saddle together with the connectors is inserted in one end of the tool with the saddle horizontal and the tool inclined from the horizontal as shown in FIG. 5. It should be noted that the plates are resilient due to the fact that they are of relatively thin sheet metal. Then the opposite or second end of the tool is raised to approximately the horizontal position, the tool or the saddle being moved horizontally to center the saddle as shown in FIG. 6.

Now a hot stick 34 is attached to the universal connection fixture head 19 and clamped thereto in the usual manner. Then the tool 11, hot line saddley 2S, and connectors 26 and 27 are raised so that the connectors 26 and 27 iit over the current-carrying Wire 28. The hot stick 34 is pushed further up so that the spring 2t) is compressed and the cam head 2l is above the wire 23. The hot stick 34 is turned, turning the bolt or shaft 1S so that the semicircular head 21 overlays the Wire 28 and as the pressure on the hot stick is released, tightly clamps the Wire 28. The tool Il and the saddle 25 are now supported on the hot wire 28 inasmuch as the head 21 is above (i.e. overlays) the wire 2S and the spring draws the head 21 down on the wire 28 and clamps the wire 28 between the head 21 and the block 14. The upper portions of the connectors are then deformed and permanently clamped to the wire 28 by a suitable insulated tool in the same manner that the lower portions of these connectors had been deformed and clamped to the saddle prior to insertion of the saddle 25 in the tool 11.

Above I described the insertion and securing of the saddle 25 with connectors 26 and 27 in the tool 11. To repeat one end of the'tool 11 is tipped and slipped over one leg of the saddle 25 so that the other end of the tool may move inside of the saddle 25 asshown in FIG. 5. Then the second end of the tool 11 is raised and slipped over the other leg of the saddle 25 so that the two legs ofthe saddle extend between the two plates 12 and 13 at opposite ends of the tool 11 as shown in FIG. 6.

Then the tool is pushed up on the saddle to the position shown in FIG. 7 in which the two connectors 26 and 27 rest in the supporting channels 24. After the tool 11, saddle 25, and connectors 26 and 27 are raised by the hot stick 34 (FIG. 8) so thatthe connectors 26 and 27 embrace the hot wire 2S, the spring 20 is compressed, the bolt 18 and head 21 are turned 180 to the positionof FIGS. 9 and 10 and the entire assembly of the too-l 11, the saddle 25 and connectors 26 and 27 are clamped to the wire 28 as shown inKFIGS. 9 and 10.

After the deformable connectors 26 and 27 are permanently clamped as described above, the hot stick 34 is pushed up againk to compress the spring 20 and the cam head 23 is turned back 180 to the position shown in FIGS. l and 2. The hot stick 34 is then pulled downward andthe tool 11 is withdrawn with it leaving the saddle 25 and connectors 26 and 27 secured to and clamped on the wire. The tool rst is drawn down to a position relative the saddle and connectors like that shown in FIG. 6 and is then tipped to the relative position of FIG. 5 and thus withdrawn.

It is to be understood that the above described embodiment of-my invention is for the purpose of illustration only and Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

, 1. A tool for holding a lhot line saddle temporarily supported by a wiring carrying an electric current so. that the hot line saddle may be more easily attached'to the current-carrying wire, wherein the hot line saddle consists of a wire capable of carrying current, bent in the shape of a U with a pair of integral aligned extensions extending oppositely from the ends of the U, but in the same plane as the U, said tool comprising:

means, which comprises a pair of substantially vertical f plates said plates being contiguous at their midportions but exibly spaced apart adjacent to their ends and at least one of said plates having a substantially horizontally extending tab adjacent to each end for supporting the extensions of the saddle;

a vertically extending bearingV secured at one side of and to said plates at their contiguous mid points;

a rotatable shaft extending vertically through said bearing; and

means for supporting said tool upon the electric current carrying wiring and thus supporting the saddle in a position in which the extensions of the saddle are contiguous Vto the` current carrying wire and parallel thereto comprising a cam secured at the top of said shaft and movable upon rotation of said shaft from a position in which it does not intrude in the spacedirectly above the electric current-carrying wiring,.to a position in which a portion of said cam directly overlies said wiring.

2. A tool for holding a hot line saddle temporarily Y supported by a wire carrying an electric current so that the hot line saddle maybe more easily, securely, and permanently attached to the current carrying wire; wherei 'n the hot line saddle consists of a wire capable of carryp. ing current, bent in the shape of a U with a pair of integral aligned extensions extending oppositely from the ends of the U but in the same plane as the U, said tool comprising: Y v

means which comprises a vertical plate member having horizontally bent tabs at opposite sides of the lower portion thereof for supporting the extensions of the saddle and the saddle thereby,

a vertically extending bearing secured to one side of said vertical plate member adjacent the middle portion thereof;

' a rotatable shaft extending vertically through said block and provided at its lower end with a universal attaching lixture; and

means, which comprises a cam at the top of said shaft movable upon rotation of said shaft from a position in which it does not intrude into` the space directly above the position of the saddle when held by said supporting vmeans to a position in which a portion of said cam directly overlies the position ofa saddle so held insaid supporting means, for clamping the extensions of the saddle in a'position contiguous to the current carrying'wire and parallel thereto.

3. The structure of claim 2 in which there is a spring interposed `between said block and said attaching end of the shaft.

4. The structure of claim 2 in whichthe cam Yis substantially semicircullar.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR HOLDING A HOT LINE SADDLE TEMPORARILY SUPPORTED BY A WIRING CARRYING AN ELECTRIC CURRENT SO THAT THE HOT LINE SADDLE MAY BE MORE EASILY ATTACHED TO THE CURRENT-CARRYING WIRE, WHEREIN THE HOT LINE SADDLE CONSISTS OF A WIRE CAPABLE OF CARRYING CURRENT, BENT IN THE SHAPE OF A U WITH A PAIR OF INTEGRAL ALIGNED EXTENSIONS EXTENDING OPPOSITELY FROM THE ENDS OF THE U, BUT IN THE SAMD PLANE AS THE U, SAID TOOL COMPRISING: MEANS, WHICH COMPRISES A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLATES SAID PLATES BEING CONTIGUOUS AT THEIR MIDPORTIONS BUT FLEXIBLY SPACED APART ADJACENT TO THEIR ENDS AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PLATES HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING TAB ADJACENT TO EACH END FOR SUPPORTING THE EXTENSIONS OF THE SADDLE; A VERTICALLY EXTENDING BEARING SECURED AT ONE SIDE OF AND TO SAID PLATES AT THEIR CONTIGUOUS MID POINTS; A ROTATABLE SHAFT EXTENDING VERTICALLY THROUGH SAID BEARING; AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTYING SAID TOOL UPON THE ELECTRIC CURRENT CARRYING WIRING AND THUS SUPPORTING THE SADDLE IN A POSITION IN WHICH THE EXTENSIONS OF THE SADDLE ARE CONTIGUOUS TO THE CURRENT CARRYING WIRE AND PARALLEL THERETO COMPRISING A CAM SECURED AT THE TOP OF SAID SHAFT AND MOVABLE UPON ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT FROM A POSITION IN WHICH IT DOES NOT INTRUDE IN THE SPACE DIRECTLY ABOVE THE ELECTRIC CURRENT-CARRYING WIRING, TO A POSITION IN WHICH A PORTION OF SAID CAM DIRECTLY OVERLIES SAID WIRING. 